Jefferson
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Rock Creek, in the Lower Crawfish River Watershed, is a 11.97 mile river that falls in Jefferson County. This river is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently considered impaired.
Date 2016
Author Ashley Beranek
General Condition
The Rock Creek (Mile 3.14 to 4.46) was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; chloride data were clearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. This segment was meeting fish and aquatic life designated use and was not considered impaired.
Date 2017
Author Amanda Smith
General Condition
The Rock Creek (Mile 6.44 to 7.51) was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; total phosphorus sample data were nearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. Temperature data did not exceed the thresholds. This water was meeting this designated use and was not considered impaired.
Date 2017
Author Amanda Smith
Impaired Waters
Rock Creek, from mile 7.8 to 12, was evaluated in the 2022 cycle: phosphorus levels were above listing thresholds as outlined in 2022 WisCALM. This stream was added to the 2022 Impaired Waters List.
Date 2022
Author Ashley Beranek
Impaired Waters
The 2018 assessments of Rock Creek (miles 2.21-3.14) showed impairment by phosphorus; new total phosphorus sample data exceeded the 2018 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. However, no biological data (i.e. no macroinvertebrate or fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores) were available to assess biological impairment. Based on the most updated information, this water was proposed for the impaired waters list.
Date 2017
Author Ashley Beranek
Condition
Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.
Reports
Recommendations
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Monitor or Assess Watershed Condition
Monitoring Ecosystem
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment, Inventory
Jefferson County Parks Department will implement the Korth Park Shoreline Restoration project along 1,300 feet of shoreline on Rock Lake. Project deliverables include: re-establishing native shoreland, upland and aquatic vegetation, stabilizing the shoreline and grading to reduce steep slopes and existing erosion.
Shoreland Ordinance
Jefferson County Parks Department will implement the Korth Park Shoreline Restoration project along 1,300 feet of shoreline on Rock Lake. Project deliverables include: re-establishing native shoreland, upland and aquatic vegetation, stabilizing the shoreline and grading to reduce steep slopes and existing erosion.
Land Acquisition
Jefferson County purchase 91.5 acres on Rock Lake for county park and open space purposes. Jefferson County will acquire property for lake protection purposes. The preservation of these parcels are for open space and passive recreation use.
Nine Key Element Plan
Rock Lake PWS Plan - Nine Key Element Plan - The Rock Lake Priority Watershed Project plan assesses the nonpoint sources of pollution in the Rock Lake Watershed and guides the implementation of nonpoint source control measures. These control measures are needed to meet specific water resource objectives for Rock Lake and its tributaries. The purpose of this project is to reduce nonpoint source pollution to Rock Lake, and to enhance and protect the water quality of Mud, Marsh, and Bean Lakes which are also located in the Rock Lake Watershed.
Management Goals
Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable
Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.
Monitoring
Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.
Grants and Management Projects
Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 830100 | Rock Creek | 283107 | Rock Creek at Cth V Brg | 7/3/2006 | 7/3/2006 | Map | Data |
| 830100 | Rock Creek | 10016260 | Rock Cr. - Dwns Culvert Above Stp | 11/8/1988 | 11/8/1988 | Map | Data |
| 830100 | Rock Creek | 10039576 | Rock Creek upstream of Stony Rd | 7/13/2012 | 10/1/2024 | Map | Data |
| 830100 | Rock Creek | 10016452 | Rock Creek - Cth V | 12/1/1988 | 12/1/1988 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Rock Creek is located in the Lower Crawfish River watershed which is 177.65 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (66.50%), grassland (11.20%) and a mix of wetland (10.70%) and other uses (11.60%). This watershed has 331.66 stream miles, 1,780.53 lake acres and 12,199.86 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Not Available for runoff impacts on lakes and High for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of High. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.